Lowndes Park Environment
Wildlife
The park is a great place to see a variety of wild plants and animals. At the top of the park you can often hear green woodpeckers and see red kites in flight. Birds ranging from blue tits to goldcrests can be seen in the lower park.
The park is also a great place to spot mini-beasts, such as butterflies, dragonflies and crickets. As our plans to manage biodiversity progress, we hope to see many more plants and animals in the park.
Heritage Trees
There are trees of all ages, shapes and sizes in the park. Many have personal significance for individual Chesham residents, as over 120 trees were planted between 1983 and 1993 as part of the Family Tree Planting Scheme. There are also trees of historic significance: two Victory Oaks were planted in 1919 to celebrate the end of World War One. In 1992, the 40th anniversary of the Queen's accession was celebrated by the planting of 40 trees, known as the Sovereign Coppice, in the Upper Park.
The importance of the Sovereign Coppice has recently been recognised, as it now forms part of the Special Trees and Woods of the Chilterns. This scheme is run by the Chilterns Woodland Project to identify and record historically and culturally significant trees in the area. The forty trees, composed of 12 native species, were planted in the shape of a crown as a living reminder of the occasion they commemorate. See the coppice's entry on the Chilterns Woodland Project web site.
News & Events
The Friends are moving the weekend working party to the second Sunday of the month and the next one will be on Sunday 12 February. We hope to be pruning roses, weeding the beds and then take a look to see if the snowdrops we have planted over the last few years are coming through. We meet at 10am in the Archena Garden which is next to the Temperance Hall in Church Street.
The Friends are hoping to plant around 30 native tree saplings in the Wildlife Area at their working party on Sunday 8 January. They have been donated by the 10th Chesham Guides and were given to them by the Woodland Trust. The varieties of tree include Holly, Wild Rose, Hawthron, Hazel and Dogwood.
We would like to thank Helena Mills who raised £570 for the Friends of Lowndes Park in memory of her good friend Ben Cargill. Over the course of the last summer she took part in not one but three triathlons. Please click on the title for more details and picture.
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